Lubrication system for internal combustion engines



Oct. 31, 1939. F. F. KlsHLlNE 2,177,724

LUBRICATIOH SYSTEI FOR INTERNAL COIBUSTIUN ENGINES Filed April 2:5, 1937 3 Shaets-Sheet 1 f f/ Y oct. 31, 1939. F F- KSHLNE 2,117,724

`I JUBRICA'XION SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed April 25, 193'.7 5 sheets-sheet 2 ,5'0 ORNE YS.

Patentedl oer. ci, 193e PATENT OFFICE LUBRICATION SYSTEM FOB INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Floyd F. Kishline, Birmingham, Mich., assigner to Graham-Paige Motors Corporation, Detroit,

Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application April 23, 1937, Serial No. 138539 c claims. (ci. iss-s) i This invention relates to lubrication systems for internal combustion engines, the principal object being the provision of s. simple and eectlve system of this type.

Objects ci. the invention include theprovision of a lubricating system ior an internal combustion engine comprising a pump having a main and an auxiliary discharge duct each oi which ,serves to feed independent lulnicating systems lo for diderent parts of the engine; the provision oi a new and novel mounting for the lubricating pump oi an internal combustion engine; the provision oi a new and novel arrangement oi oil feed ducts i'or the lubrication system oi au inw ternal combustion engine; the provision oi a new and novel construction for enating entrapped air from the lubricating ducts of an internal combustion engine; the provision oi a new and novel means insuring ample lubrication ofthe so pistons oi. an internal combustion engine upon initiation ci operation thereof from. a cold condition; the provision ci a new and novel means for cooling the lubricant in an internal combustion engine; the provision ci a new and novel gy lubricating system for an overhead valve type of internal combustion enyine; the provision oi a novel lubricating; system for an overhead valve type oi internal combustion engine employing automatically adjustable valve tappets; and theV so provision oi accnstruction as above described in which means are provided .for 1n.. ating the passage oi air bubbles to the automatically adljustable valve tappets. n

The above being among the Iobjects oi the w present invention the saine consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations -of parts to be hereinafter described with rei'erence to the accompanying dra-wines, and then claimed, having the above and other objects in o viewD In the accompanying 1f-gs which illustrate a suitable embodiment of the present invention and in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several diierent views,

Figure 1 is a; partially broken,7 partially sectioned side elevational view of an internal c'ombustion engine;

Fig. 2 is a slightly enlarged vertical sectional view taken transversely through `the engine w shown in Fig. 1 as on the line 2 2 thereof;

Fig. 3 is a still further enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken transversely of the engine shown in Fig. 1 as on the line t-t thereof;

Fig. 4 (Sheet l) is an enlarged vertical sec- "w tional view taken longitudinally through the piston oiling gallery shown at the righthand side of the engine in'Fig. 2 and as on the line #-4 thereof;

Fig. 5 (Sheet 1l is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section view taken on the line 5--5 B of Fig. 1, illustrating the means provided for lubricating the cam shaft driving sprocket and cha n;

Fig. 6 (Sheet 2) is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken transversely of the engine w as on the line 6--t of Fig. ,-1 and. particularlyv through the cylinder head and associated parts thereof; and,

Fig. 7 (Sheet 3)' is an enlarged/fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on the line 'l--l w oi Fig. 2, illustrains the oildrainihg yroove or ditch formed in theupner face of the cylinder head for the purpose or carrying away surplus oil therefroni.` I

Referring tothe drawings, an internal, coinzo' bustion engine of the multi-cylinder overhead valve type isv illustrated as having a cylinder' block indicated generally at I0. The cylinder block I0 comprises a crankcase l2 supporting a plurality of vertically arranged in line cylinders I4 surrounded in aconventional manner by a water jacket I6 spaced outwardly thereof to provide the usual water or other cooling liquid space I8 surrounding all of the cylinders Il. It will be particularly noted from an inspection of Fig. 3 n that the space It extends downwardly to the extreme bottom end of the cylinders M.

As best brought out in Figs. 1 and 2 the lower face ofthe crankcase l2 is formed to provide a plurality of bearing halves 20 in which the main 3g journals of the crank shaft 22 are rotatably received and maintained in place by caps 2t secured in place for the most part by conventional screws 2B except in the case-of the cap for the rear main journal, the specific construction of a which is illustrated in Fig. 2 and which will be discussed in detail later.

Each cylinder It slidably receives a. piston 2t which is connectedto the corresponding throw 4of the crank shaft 22 by means of a connecting ag rod 30 in a conventional manner. The lower face of the crankcase I2 is closed by a conventional oii pan I2 secured in -place in a conventional manner.4 j 2 The top of the cylinder block l0 is closed by n a. cylinder head indicated generally at 40. The cylinder head l is secured to the cylinder block I0 by means of studs 42 and nuts M, the ,nuts 44 being accessible by .removing covers 46 and 4l, covering openings 50 and l2 respectively in u,

the opposite sides of the cylinder head leading into the water cooling spaces 54 thereof. 'This particular feature forms no part of the present invention but forms the subject matter of my co-pending application for Letters Patent of the United States forv improvements in Internal combustion engine, iledAugust 4, 1937, Serial No. 157,397.

Over each cylinder i4 the lower face of the cylinder head 40 is formed to provide a combustion chamber 56 the particular construction and arrangement of which forms no part of the present invention.

The cylinder head d is also interiorly formed to provide exhaust passages 52 as shown in Fig. 3

and intake passages til as partially shown in Fig. 2, which passages communicate with the respective combustion chambers 56 and such communication is controlled by conventional downwardly opening valves 62 each slidably received in a conventional form of valve stem guide 64 suitably supported in the cylinder head. Conventional valve springs 66 are arranged in conventional manner to constantly urge the valve 64 towards closed. position. Each combustion chamber is provided with a spark plug 61 received in a well 68 formed in the cylinder head above each combustion chamber, the wells 68 opening onto the upper face of the cyli'nder'head 40 and being closed against the entrance yof dust, dirt or other foreign material by means of a removable closure 69 suitably formed, 'of course,

for the passage of the usual ignition cables (not shown) to the various spark plugs 6l.

Seated upon the upper face of the cylinder head 40 in offset relation with respect to the longitudinal center line of the cylinder head is a valve tappet housing indicated generally at 'lll which extends the full length of the cylinder head and is provided in its length with a plurality of 'bores 7|, as best shown in Fig. 3, one in axial alignment with each of the valves 62, and in each of the bores 1| is vertically slidably received a valve tappet l2. In the broader aspects of the present invention these valve tappets 12 may be .of anysuitable or conventional construction but in themore limited phase of the present invention such valve tappets are of the automatically adjustable hydraulic type which, for instance, may be of the same general principles of construction as shown in U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,051,232, issued August 18, 1936 to Carl Voorhies. A plurality of bearing blocks 'Hi are received upon the upper surface of the tappet housings 1D and, as illustrated in Fig. 6, are secured in place to the tappet housings 'l0 and the tappet housing 10 secured in place to the cylinder head 4|] by means of vertically extending studs 'I6 extending downwardly through the bearing blocks 14, tappet housing 'l0 and the lower ends of which are threadably secured in the cylinder-head 4U, nuts 18 being received on the upper ends of the studs 16. It will also be understood from an inspection of Fig. 6 that the studs 'I6 and cooperating nuts 18 also serve to secure the two halves of the various bearing blocks 14 in assembled relation with respect to each other.

A cam shaft is rotatably received by the various bearing blocks 14 and is provided along its length with a plurality of cams 82 in accordance with conventional practice, there being one such cam 82 for each valve tappet 'l2 and arranged in cooperating relationship thereto. The cam shaft 8|] is provided at its forward end with a sprocket 86 and the forwardly projecting end of the crankshaft 22 is provided with a similar sprocket 88 of half the diameter of the sprocket 86 and the two sprockets 86 and 88 are drivingly connected to one another by means of a conventional type of silent chain 90, thereby causing the cam shaft 80 to be driven at half the speed of the crankshaft 22. As illustrated in Fig. 1 the sprockets 86 and 88 project beyond the forward face of the cylinder block Ill and are enclosed in an oil tight housing including a hat plate 92 suitably secured to the ilat front end wall of the cylinder block lil and a chain housing cover 94 of pan-like formation -sealed at its marginal edges to the plate 92. A cover 95 is provided over the cam shaft 80 and cooperating parts and is suitably sealed to the upper face of the tappet housing 'l0 to prevent the escape of oil therefrom.

As indicated in Fig. 2 a water pump 96 is suitably supported at a side of the engine and may be driven therefrom in any suitable or conventional manner. The water pump 96 is provided With a main discharge connection 98 and an auxiliary discharge connection |00 and is provided with a single inlet connection |02 which may be connected to a conventional radiator (not shown) in any suitable or conventional manner. The main discharge connection 98 through which the greater proportion of the cooling water is discharged from the pump is connected directly into the cover 48 on the side of the cylinder head 40 and i which cover forms a water gallery extending longitudinally of the cylinder head 40 and from which the water ows directly into the water spaces 5t in the cylinder head 4|l.

The smaller volume of cooling water discharged through th`e connection |00 passes through a hose |04 and connection l |16 into the interior of a hollow protuberance |08 formed on the side of the cylinder block Ill and interiorly in open communication' with the water containing spaces I8 formed between the cylinders ld and water jacket i6. `The water which is introduced into the cylinder block through the connection |06 flows through the spaces I8 and then passes upwardly into the water containing spaces `iill in the cylinder head 40 through communicating passages l I@ formed in the upper wall of the cylinder block lil and the lower wall of the cylinder head 4d, as illustrated in Fig. 3, in a conventional manner, and there commingles with the Water discharged frorn the pump 96 through the passage 98 directly to the cylinder head and such commingled water is then discharged from the cylinder head to the radiator in a conventional manner (not shown).

An oil pump indicated generally at |20, best shown in Fig. 2. is located adjacent the bottom of the oil pan 32 at the rear end thereof. It comprises a casing |22 and a bottom cover |24 forming a housing for a pair of intermeshing gear elements |26 and |28 cooperating with each other and the walls of the housing to provide a pump of generally conventional construction. The pump |20 is supported by means of an upward extension or bracket |29 terminating at its upper end in a flange |30 which is secured to the lower face or the rearmost bearing cap 24 for the crankshaft 22 by means of screws |32.

The cap 24 for the rear main bearing 20 for the crankshaft 22, instead of being secured to the crankcase |2 by the bolts 26 previously described, in this instance is secured to the crankcase l2 by means of a pair of screws |34 and |36 which extend upwardly through the rear cap 24 from the bottom face thereof on opposite sides of the corlll liti

, relative rotation to the rear end of the dam sha/ft vBil airfares responding crankshaft journal and their upper ends are threaded into suitableopenings provided in the crankcase :for their reception. The screw llii is hollow throughout its entire length and the pump casing it@ is provided with an upwardly extending boss the upper end of which is formed to be piloted with a relatively close t within the lower end oi the bore of the screw itt. The cylinder block i@ and cylinder head it are provided with vertical-ly extending bores Mid and itil respectiveiy in axial alignment with the screw it@ and extending downwardly therethrough is a hollow drive shait Mii which extends downwardly through the boss itt on the pump casing mi in which it has suitable bearing and projects downwardly into the interior of the pump iii@ axially of the gear |26 which is non-rotatably mounted upon the lower end thereof so as to be `driven thereby. The upper end of the hollow shaft M is formed to provide a tongue and groove driving connection with the lower end of a stub shaft |46 rotatably mounted in the valve tappet housing in axial alignment therewith. A sleeve |48 fixed to the lower end of the stub shaft |46' serves to maintain the co-operating ends of the shafts |44 and |46 in axial alignment.

The upper end of the stub shaft |46 projects upwardly above the upper face of; the valve tappet housing 10 and is there non-rotatably provided with a spiral gear |50 lying in meshing relationshipl with a co-operating gear |52 fixed against 80. Accordingly, rotation of the cam shaft 80 causes a corresponding rotation of the shafts |46 and |44 and, accordingly, the gears |26 and |28 `in the oil pump |20, thereby to cause the oil pump p ing and which passage |62 leads to an annular jacent its head through the opposite end thereof vand holes |66 drilled through its walls within the height of the annular passage |64 provide communication between its hollow interior and the annular vchamber |64. The crankcase l2 is interiorly formed to provide a passage |68 in communication with the hollow interior'of the screw itil and extending vertically therefrom to an oil gallery lli@ formed, as best shown in Fig. 3, in the water jacket i6 on the corresponding side of the engine and extending the full length of the cylinder block It above the lower ends ol' the cylinders ld. 'At points in the length of the `gallery lit corresponding to the position of the main crankshaft bearings 20, with the exception of the rear main bearing it only, the crankcase is formed to provide a downwardly and inwardly directed duct or passage |12, as best shown in Fig. 2,`connecting the gallery |10 with the corre` spending journals oi the crankshaft received within the corresponding bearings 20 so as to provide an ample iiow of lubricant to such bearings. In the case of the rearmost bearing 20, the cap 24 therefor is provided with a passage I 14 connecting the passagel62 directly with the/ crankshaft journal received by such bearings in order to provide it with a proper and sufficient amount of lubrication. Any suitable or conventional means, not shown, may be provided,l for conducting a portion oi the oil ied to the bearings it to the crank pins oi the crankshaft it `in, order to lubricate the lower bearings oi the connecting rods A laterally outwardly extending passage tilt communicates with the oil gallery tit and in turn communicates with a vertically extending passage il't extending downwardly therefrom and discharging into the oil pan it through the lower .tace of the crankcase il?. The passage i'lli comprises two different portions of different diameters forming a shoulder it@ between them 'and this shoulder serves as a seat for an oil pressure relief valve itt constantly urged towards its seat by means ofa coil spring idd constantly maintained under compression between the valve llt).

|32 and the plug |66 closing the outer end of the bore |16. It will be noted that the shoulder |80 is located in the bore |16 intermediate the gallery |10 and 'the passage |18 so that only when the pressure of the oil in the gallery |10 exceeds the pressure required to overcome the spring |84 is any'oil permitted to pass the valve |82 and return to the passage |18 to the oil pan 32.

It is to be particularly noted that portions of the walls of the bores |68 and |18 are completely surrounded by water introduced into the water jackets |6 for the cylinders through the discharge connection |00 of the water circulating pump 96 and at a point at which the water has not yet had an opportunity to be materially heated by the walls of the cylinders I4. vIn the case of the walls for the. bore |18 in particular these i are located within the protuberance |08 where no condition exists that would tend to heat the water in any respect. Additionally, the oil gallery |10 being formed in the water jacket I6 itself has one side of its wall exposed to the air exteriorly of the engine and the other ha1f. of such wall exposed to direct contact with the cooling water within the spaces I8 formed between the water jacket I6 and the cylinders I4. Consequently all of these passages are so constructed as to be subjected to the cooling eifect of the cooling water employed for cooling the engine and thus receive a material cooling effect from such cooling water which is, of course, highly desirable if not necessary in high speed modern internal `combustion engines. Moreover this cooling effect is obtained at substantially no added cost as compared to conventional constructions not provided with'special oil cooling means.

lt is generally recognized as desirable to provide means for forcing a quantity of lubricant to the walls oi* the cylinders and pistons of an internal combustion engine immediately upon initiation of operation thereoi so as to obviatel the danger of scuing or scoring the walls of the pistons' and cylinders particularly in cold weather. In accordance with the present invention means are provided for effecting such lubrication in the following manner. As best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 an oil passage tilt is formed in the rear wall of the water jacket I6 and extending across the width of such wall. One end of the passage 200 is in open communication with the oil gallery |"lll and at its opposite end it communicates with an angularly extending passage 202 which lies in open communication with an oil gallery 204 formed inthe water jacket I6 on the opposite side of the engine from the oil gallery |10 and extending substantially the full length of the cylinderblock I0.

Referring now to Fig. 4 which is vthe longitudinal section taken through the oil gallery 204 it will be noted that the oil gallery is of two diameters forming a shoulder 206 therebetween, the enlarged portion being relatively short and being located rearwardly of the centerline of the rearmost cylinder I4. A tube 208 of a smaller external diameter than the internal diameter of the enlarged portion of the gallery 204 is received within the enlarged bore portion '.of rthe gallery 204 in spaced relation to the walls thereof. The righthand end of the tube 208, as viewed in Fig. 4, is outwardly flared as at 2|0 so as to engage the shoulder 206 as well as to interiorly provide a valve seat. The ared end 2|0 of thetube 208 is maintained in abutting and sealed relation with respect to the shoulder 208 by means of a nut 2|2 threaded into the lefthand end of the bore 204, as viewed in Fig. 4, and so formed as to pilot the corresponding end of the tube 208 as well as to urge it axially against the shoulder 206. The corresponding end of the gallery 204 is closed and sealed by means of a screw plug 2I4. Oil in the entrance end of the oil gallery 204 is communicated to the interior of the tube 208 by means of a plurality of holes 2|6 drilled through the walls of the tube 208. l

Received within the elongated smaller bore portion of the gallery 204 is a rod 2 |8 the lefthand end of which is formed to provide a valve 220 for co-operation with the seat formed by the inner Wall of the flared end 2|0 of the tube 208. The opposite end of the rod 2|8 is guidingly received in the inner end of a screw plug 222l adjustably received within the righthand end of the gallery 204 as viewed in Fig. 4. Leakage of oil between the plug 222 and the walls of the gallery 204 is prevented by means of a sealing nut 224 threaded over the outwardly projecting end of the plug 222 and bearing against the corresponding end face of the walls of the gallery 204. The rod 2I8 at intervals in its length is provided with angularly offset pins 226 fixed with respect to the rods 2I8 but slidably received within the gallery 204 so as to maintain the rod 2|8 centrally therein without restricting axial movement thereof. The rod 2|8 is formed of a material having a greater coefiicient of yexpansion than the walls of the gallery 204 so that when heated to a predetermined temperature it will be caused to lengthen axially and to bring the valve 220 into seating relation with respect to the valve seat formed by the interior walls of the flared end 2|0 of the tube 208, and thereby close communication between the interior of the tube 208 and the main portion of the oil gallery 204. The material from which the rod 2|8 may be formed may be copper, brass, aluminum or any other suitable material having a higher coeicient of expansion than the walls of the gallery 204 and the actual temperature at which the valve 220 seats to shut off communication with the interior of the tube 208 may be readily adjusted by threading the screw plug 222 either inwardly or outwardly in the gallery 204.

As best shown in Fig. 3 the oil gallery 204 forwardly of the shoulder 206 communicates with a plurality of upwardly and inwardly extending passages 230. one of which leads to the bore of each cylinder I4, so that when the valve 220 is open and the engine is operating oil fed to the gallery 204 will be fed through the various passages 230 to the bore of all of the cylinders I4 at a point therein normally swept by the corresponding pistons 28 during reciprocation thereof, thereby to provide a direct flow of lubricant to the walls of such cylinders and pistons, The passages 230 are upwardly directed from the gallery 204 tothe bores of the cylinders I4 to prevent inadvertent draining of the gallery 204 during inoperative periods of the engine and so that the ilow of oil from the gallery 204 through the passages 230 to the walls of the cylinders and pistons will be instantaneous upon initiation of engine operation from a cold condition.

Although not forming any part of the present invention it is desirable, if not necessary from a surface of the pistons 28 in intersecting relation with respect to the grooves 232 to further aid in the distribution of such lubricant. This last feature of 'providing the grooves 232 and 234 in the piston 28 forms the subject matter of my copending application for Letters Patent of the United States for mprovements in Lubrication system for internal combustion engines, filed -April 19, 1937, Serial No. 137,682.

In accordance with a further phase of the present invention the wearing parts of the engine other than those heretofore described are lubricated by an independent lubricating system the supply for which, however, is furnished by the same oilpump which supplies the system already described. For the purpose of supplying this second lubricating system the cap |24 of the oil pump is provided in its upper face with a groove 250 leading from the pressure side of the pump gears |26 and |28 to a point below the hollow drive shaft |44 with the interior of which it is in open communication. Accordingly, a portion of the oil discharged from the pump |20 passes through the groove 250 in the cap |24 and into the hollow interior of the drive shaft |44 Where it ows upwardly therethrough and into the hollow interior of the stub shaft |46. It is preferable to provide an upwardly opening ball check valve 252 in the lower end of the drive shaft |44 so as to prevent oil in the shaft |44 from draining downwardly out of its bore during inoperative periods of the engine.

The tappet housing 'I0 is provided with an oil gallery 254 therein extending longitudinally thereof from end to end. -The bearing bushing 256 in the tappet block l0 for the stub shaft |46 is interiorly provided with an annular groove 258 which is in constant communication with the interior of the stub shaft |46 through drilled openings 260 and is also in open communication with the gallery 254 through openings therethrough directly connecting the groove 258 with the oil4 once during each rotation of the stub shaft |46 75 iii) yof a downwardly directed passage 210 which attrarre the openings ttt and fitti are brought into registry with each other to thus permit the discharge ci a small amount of oil through these registered openings directed against the face of the gear litt, thereby providing lubrication for the wearing surfaces of both the gears iii@ and iiit. Furthermcrein view of the fact that the opening.

is at the extreme upper end of the bore of the stub shaft it@ and a material distance abovev the gallery iti/i, any air that becomes entrapped in -the oil delivered to the hollow interior of the 26d against the face of the gear itt'will have nov material ill effects upon the lubrication ci the same and, more important, at .the same tiine it provides a construction which carries away such air bubbles from possible passage at a lower level into the oil gallery 254.

Referring now to Fig. 3 it will be noted that the bore 1| in the tappet housing 10 for each tappet 12 is connected to the gallery 254 by means when the tappet is of a conventional-mechanical construction, serves to lubricate the wearing surfaces of the corresponding tappet and the bore in which it works, and where the tappets 12 are of the automatically adjustable hydraulic type these passages 210 further serve to provide. a constant supply of lubricant under pressure to such valve tappets as is necessary in such cases. latter case the tappets 12 are preferably provided with a circumferential groove 212 in constant communication with the corresponding passage 216 and each tappet is provided with a suitable passage such as the passages 214 for carrying oil from the corresponding groove 212 to its interior.

- Referring now to Fig. 6 it will be vnoted that the gallery 254 intersects the openings in the valve tappet housng1ll through which one of the downwardly extendling studs 16 for each bearing block 14 passes, and that the upper end of this opening in the valve tappet housing 10 is enlarged to provide an annular oil passage 216 l about the correspondingstud 16 in open communication with the gallery 254. The lower half of each bearing block 14 isprovided with "an oil passage 218 connecting the correspondingannular passage 216 with' the corresponding bearing surface for the cam shaft 80. It will be noted that the passages 216 and 218 extend upwardly from the gallery 254 whereas -the passages 210 for conducting oil from the gallery 254 to the tappets 12 extend downwardly from the gallery. This arrangement is provided for the reason that it is highly desirable to prevent any air from being carried to the tappets12 where such tappets are of the automatically adjustable hydraulic type.' Accordingly, should any air bubbles become entrapped in the supply of oil from the oil pump |26 and fail to be discharged from the upper end of the stub shaft |46 as heretofore described and be carried into the gallery 254, such air bubbles will be carried ,to the upper strata of the oil flowing through the gallery 254 and eventually will be discharged therefrom by passing upwardly through the passages 216 and 218 to the various bearings of the cam shaft 60 vwhile the oil which is fed to the tappets 12 is In the to properly lubrcate these parts.

understood, of course, that the rear end of the tappets 12 and the cams 82 will be amply lubricated by the oil vapor which will usually ll the cover 95 as well as by particles of liquid oil escaping from between the tappets 'it and their corresponding bores 'il in which they work `and from the various bearing blocks it around the cam shaft titi.

The excess oil which thus escapes from the wearing surfaces of the tappets 'iii and earn shaft dt will readily drain downwardlythrough the tappet housing 'it to the upper face of the cylinder' head 4t below the housing lt has been found that if any material amount ci such oil is permitted to build up around they lower ends of the valve springs |56 it will be picked up by such valve springs and carried upwardly and become deposited upon the exposed portions of the stems of the valves 62 where it will have a tendency to be drawn downwardly between. the valve stems and their guides and on to the heads of the valves 62 as well as into thecorresponding combustion chambers 56. This is undesirable for the reason that such oil in these locations will be carbonized by the heat to which it is subjected and will have a tendency to form carbon deposits upon the valves and in the combustion chamber and on the pistons. Accordingly, in

order to eliminate the possibility of this undesirable occurrence the upper face of the cylinder head40 below the tappet housing 10'is provided with a trough or ditch-like depression 280 the bottom of which is located below the lower end of the valve springs 66. As best illustrated in Figp? the groove or ditch 280 is of a sinuous character winding back and forth between the valves 62 over the length of the cylinder head 40."

At its rear end the groove or ditch 286 opens into the bore 4 2 formed in the cylinder head 40 the chain housing. Accordingly, oil at the forward end of the groove or ditch 2.80 may drain downwardly through the opening or passage 282 and through the opening 284 in to the interior of the chain housing 92-94 the lower end of which is in open communication with the interior of the i oil pan 32. While the flow of oil through these last mentioned passages might be relied upon for suitably lubricating the sprocketsV 86 and 88 and Iconnectedchain 9U, preferably a more positive means is provided, for this purpose. This is brought out in Figs. 1 and 5 in which it will be noted that the forward end of the cil gallery 254 f in the tappet housing 10 is slightly enlarged and receives therein a disc or button 290having a relatively small central orifice 292. plate 92 is provided with an enlarged opening 294 in axial alignment with the orifice 292. The orifice 292 is so positioned that oil under pres- `V sure in the ga'lery 254 will be discharged there- 66 The front from against the sprocket 86 from which the oil; will be carried onto the chain 90 and thence to the face of the'sprocket 88 in sufficient quantities It will be oil gallery 254 is closed except for its communication with the hollow interior of the stub shaft |46 as previously described` From the foregoing description it will be understood that lubrication of the various parts of the engine described is accomplished 4through two more or less independent lubricating systems both of which are supplied by a common pump I20. The lubricating system for the crank shaft and other heavily loaded bearing parts which require the greatest amount of lubrication is accomplished in the main by supplying such oil to the longitudinally extending gallery II0 from which it is conducted to the various co-operating wearing parts. tion of this main lubricating system is so positioned, constructed and arranged thatrits various oil passages are subjected to the cooling effects of the water circulation system for the engine thereby to aid in the efllcient cooling of such lubricant. The oil which is conducted through the passage 200 across the rear end of the engine to the gallery 204 is also cooled by reason of its being carried through the water jacketproper of the engine, but inasmuch as the valve 220 is preferably adjusted to permit a flow of oil through the gallery 204 to the bores of the various cylinders I4 only during initial operation of the engine from a cold start,`the cooling effect for this reason may be more or less negligible. However, it will be understood that the valvesv 220 may be adjusted to permit a small continued fiow of lubricant to the bores of the cylinders during normal operation of the engine and in such case a material cooling effect of theoil will be realized Vfrom this part of the'system.

The screw plug 222 which controls the axial position of the rod 2 I 8 and consequently the valve 220 is preferably so adjusted that when the engine iscold the rod 2I8 will shorten suciently in length to unseat the valve 220 but when the engine and the water within the spaces I8 sur-- rounding the cylinders I4 have reached a normal operating temperature, or have approached such temperature, the length of the rod 2I8 will increase sufficiently to cause the valve 220 to be seated against the end of the tube 208 and thus shut off further ilow of oil to the gallery 204. By .this means an automatic arrangement is provided whereby when the engine is started up from a cold condition an ample and immediate flow of oil to the wearing surfaces between the bores of the cylinders I4 and the pistons 28 will be provided to effectively prevent scufng or scoring of either the pistons or the cylinders and as soon as the engine has warmedpp suillciently to i insure lubrication of these surfaces by a splash of oil from the connecting rod bearings or other normal or conventional means, further lubrication of the cylinders and pistons from the gallery 204 is terminated.

It -will also be understood from the foregoing description that the other lubricating system which may be termed more or less auxiliary to the main system irst described is so constructed and arranged as to provide an ample supply of lubricant to the lesser wearing surfaces of the engine and that the construction and arrangement of this second lubricating system is such as to efficiently eliminate the carrying of air bubbles to any operating part where their presence might have an ill effect, and also that the elimination of the presence of such air bubbles is accomplished in such a manner as to have no material effect on the proper lubrication of the As previously described a major pordesired parts. On the whole it will be observed that the lubrication of all of the wearing parts of the engine is accomplished in a simple, efcient and highly satisfactory manner.

Formal changes may be made in the specific embodiment of the invention described without departing from the spirit or substance of the broad invention, the scope of which is commensurate with the appended claims. What I claim is:

l. In combination with an internal combustion engine having an oil pan at the bottom thereof, a cam shaft at the top thereof and valve tappets at the top thereof operable by said cam shafts, an oil pump in said oil pan, a hollow rotatable shaft extending from the lower portion of said engineI to a point adjacent said cam shaft and having its bore closed at its upper end, means for driving said hollow shaft, means for introducing oil from said oil pump into the interior of said hollow shaft, said hollow shaft having a passage'through a side wall thereof adjacent its upper closed end, stationary means surrounding the upper end portion of said hollow shaft and having a passage therethrough registerable with said passage in said shaft during rotation of said shaft therein, a horizontally extending oil conduit adjacent the top of said engine, other conduits connecting said conduit with said tappets, and means effecting communication between the first mentioned conduit and the interior of said hollow shaft at a point downwardly spaced from said passage whereby air bubbles carried by the oil introduced into said hollow shaft will tend to flow upwardly beyond the point of intercommunication between the interior of said hollow shaft and said first mentioned conduit to the upper end of said hollow shaft and will be ejected therefrom through said registerable passages.

2. In combination with an internal combustion engine having an oil pan in the bottom thereof, a. cam shaft at the top thereof, and automatically adjustable tappets of the hydraulic type operable by said cam shaft, a conduit extending from a point adjacent said oil pan to a point adjacent said cam shaft, means for introducing oil vunder pressure into the lower end of said conduit, means closing the upper end of said conduit, means surrounding the upper end of said conduit, the last mentioned means and said conduit being relatively rotatable and having passages in the walls thereof registerable with each other during relative rotation, a longitudinally extending conduit atithe top of said engine adjacent said tappets connected with said tappets whereby to provide a supply of oil thereto, means intercommunicating the last mentioned conduit with the first mentioned conduit at a point below said passages whereby air bubbles in the oil supply to the first mentioned conduit at the lower end thereof will tend to pass upwardly in said first mentioned conduit beyond the point of intercommunication between said conduits and be discharged from said rst mentioned conduit through said registerable passages thereby to provide said second mentioned conduit and said tappets with a supply of oil free of entrapped air.

'3. In combination with an internal combustion engine having an oil pan at the bottom thereof, a cam shaft at the top thereof, bearings for said cam shaft', automatically adjustable valve tappets of the hydraulic type below said cam shaft and actuable thereby, a conduit extending from said oil pan to a point adjacent said cam shaft, means for introducing oil under therefrom to said tappets, other auxiliary conduits extending from said second conduit upwardly to the bearings for said cam shaft, and

means for intermittently discharging oil and entrapped air from the interior of the rst mentioned conduit at a'point therein above the point of intercommunication between said first and second mentioned conduits.

4. In combination with an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylindersand vpistons reciprocable therein, ,anV oil gallery ex` tending longitudinally of the engine, conduits connecting said oil gallery with the bores of said cylinders, a valve seat adjacent one end of said gallery, an elongated valve member in said gallery formed of a material having a higher coeiiicient of expansion than the material forming the walls of said gallery, and means for feeding lubricating oil under pressure to said gallery between said valve seat and the corresponding end of said gallery.

5. In combination, with an internal combustion engine-having a plurality of cylinders and means for circulating a cooling iluid around said cylinders, a lubricating oil gallery extending longitudinally of the engine with a wall portion thereof bathed by said cooling fluid, said engine beingprovided with ducts providing communication between said gallery and the bore of each of said cylinders, means for introducing lubricating oil under pressure into said gallery, a valve in said lgallery for controlling the flow of lubricating oil thereinto, and means comprising an elongatedmember adjustably mounted in said4 gallery for controlling the position of said valve, said elongated member having a higher co-eiiicient of expansion than'the walls of said lgallery whereby when said elongated member is heated by said oil therein after said engine is started 5 from a cold condition said `valve will be moved towards a position to restrict the ow o f lubricating oil into said gallery.

6. In combination with an internal combustion engine having a vplurality -of cylinders arranged in line and means for circulating coolingfluid over the exterior surfaces of said cylinders, an oil gallery extending longitudinally of the engine and arranged in heat conducting relationship with respect to said cooling iiuid, a shoulder formed 15 in said gallery adjacent one end thereof by enlarging said end of said gallery, a tube positioned in said enlarged end of said gallery with the exterior surfaces thereof in generally spaced relationship with respect to the inner, walls of said 20 end, the inner end of said tube being ilared to provide axial engagement thereof with said shoulder and to provide a valve seat interlorly of said iiared end, means for maintaining said tube against said shoulder, means for introducing 2g lubricating oil underzpressure into said gallery between said tube and the walls-of said gallery; said tube having openings through the walls thereof to provide for 'the flow of said oil into v the interior of said tube, means at the opposite 30 side of said gallery adjustable axially thereof, an elongated member in said gallery abutting said means at one end thereof and having a valve at the opposite end thereof in cooperative relationship with respect to said valve seat,`said elon- 35 gated member having a higher co-eflicient of expansion than the walls of said gallery whereby increase in temperature of oil `in said gallery will cause said valve to approach said valve seat. l n

FLOYD F. KISHLINEL 

